Sometimes a local tour is great. Sometimes not. The ship tendered at this port, so after the tendering process, we were approached by a variety of locals selling tours.
We settled on one which was in a private taxi mini-van. There were four of us on the tour and he kept trying to find two more tourists to fill the van. However, those two would have been crammed into the back with their knees in their chins. So the four of us agreed to leave this van and try another guide. The next guide had a 12 passenger van. It took the guide several minutes to convince others to join the group. The AC was good; the suspension was not.
First stop was a scenic view – two volcanos (Concepción and Maderas) with Lake Nicaragua in the foreground.
Some of the scenery was not so exciting. (It is the dry season, but dried frogs was not what I had in mind.)
We drove through rivers and two small cities to get to the town of Granada.
We saw Rivas, tuk tuks and bicycle carts.
Granada had buildings with colonial architecture.
We were given several enjoyable minutes to wander in the town and look around.
Street performers dressed in elaborate costumes.
Upon return to the tender terminal area, we did a little shopping for local crafts. This young girl personalized a wooden bookmark I purchased at her family’s booth.
Before going to the tender area, we stopped to use the wifi at a local ice cream shop nearby. Sometimes the terminals have free wifi, but this one did not. The shop required a minimum purchase to use the wifi, but I didn’t mind the sacrifice for ice cream.
Nicaragua provided a beautiful natural photo backdrop for the sail away. (It’s almost a shame to mess up the scenery by standing in the foreground.)
If I ever return to San Juan Del Sur….
I think I would like to see San Juan Del Sur rather than spending so much time on a motor coach traveling to other places. Perhaps, I might go to Las Nubes Adventure Park and possibly try zip lining or take an ATV ride to find monkeys and sloths. If there is enough time, I would also like to get up close to the Cristo de la Misericordia (statue of Christ), even though I understand there are 100 stairs!
